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Siege #4COVER BY: Coipel, Morales & MartinWRITER: Brian Michael BendisPENCILS: Olivier CoipelINKS: Mark MoralesCOLORED BY: Laura MartinLETTERED BY: Chris Eliopoulos Spoiler alert! From start to finish, the Siege saga that brought an end to the Dark Reign of Norman Osborn has been tremendous. SIEGE #4, by Brian Michael Bendis and Olivier Coipel, was the perfect capper for this story as well as a great launching point for Marvel’s new Heroic Age.It was a tribute to our heroes that, when the endgame fell, both the magicks of Loki and those of the Stones of Norn were gone. The heroes of Earth and Asgard vanquished the Sentry and Osborn in personal battles that oozed the drama that had built up over the last few years. Cap dragging in Osborn’s carcass and Thor fulfilling Bob Reynolds’ pleas of “kill me” were especially satisfying. (And I hated to laugh during this well-executed saga, but if you have been following the Sentry at all you will chuckle too when you see the final fate of the Angel of Death!)It was nice to see Tony Stark back in the thick of Avengers action – and what great action scenes they were courtesy of Coipel, Morales and Martin -- as Iron Man, and even nicer that the U.S. government saw fit to return the former munitions maker’s tower and armory. After all this time, perhaps the real Avengers – whoever they might turn out to be – will have a home, along with the long-suffering Jarvis.The turn Loki took in this issue is not a new thing, but one quite unexpected given his great part in the siege itself. He simply underestimated the power of the Sentry. His aiding of the Avengers and battle with the Void – much like that which took place during the climax of the war in issues of The Avengers and The Defenders of years agone – was both breath-taking and poignant.With the Void dead and Osborn and most of the criminals originally released from the Raft in New Avengers #1 captured, only the Hood remains as a dangling thread. I have a feeling he will be taken care of with New Avengers Finale #1, next in my reading pile.The end party, so long in coming, with all the Avengers Assembled along with old friends like Daredevil and the Fantastic Four, brought a smile to my face. (I was looking for Stan and Jack sitting somewhere!) I felt what these characters, especially the New Avengers, had been through over the years and what is now before them. (A very interesting news crawl in NYC, as was the talk Steve Rogers had with Mr. Obama before the festivities!)And yes, the speech Thor made after the Asgardians arrived did bring a tear or two (maybe more) to the eyes of this 52-year-old fanboy. If you are not made out of Norn-stone, you will be affected the same way.I must compliment Olivier Coipel & Crew who kept the art and layouts breath-taking, super-detailed and exciting throughout the whole mini. Kudos of the highest nature to Brian Michael Bendis who proved he can write great action without sacrificing characterization and plot direction. This four-issue mini has given me new hope for Mr. Bendis’ story-telling ability along with an anxious eye for both sets of Avengers books he will be producing. (Ed Brubaker’s Secret Avengers is also eagerly awaited.)All in all, Siege proved to be the cosmic spectacle, in the Avengers tradition, that Secret Invasion failed to be. And, along with the Kree/Skrull War and the Korvac Saga, Siege will go down as an Avengers classic!‘Nuff said!